The Program

3Defining “Best”

ONCE WE HAVE determined our Core Values, we must then define them. The leader determines the Core Values, but at the very least, the leader, the executive team or coaching staff, and possibly a few team members whom we consider “best”, should help define those Core Values.

Ray Lipsky is a friend and U.S. Naval Academy classmate of Program founder Eric Kapitulik. Ray was a member of the Navy football team and then served honorably as a Marine Corps Infantry Officer. His battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Paul Lefebvre, would often remind Ray, and the rest of his battalion, “Man [ Woman] is a sum of his [her] experiences.”

Humans are the sum of their experiences. Why is this important for our discussion on defining Core Values? Because we can’t simply state that one of our Core Values is, for example, “Toughness,” or that we expect our team to behave in a tough manner without defining what “tough” means to our organization.

The Program had the privilege to work with Coach Tom Izzo and the Michigan State men’s basketball team many years ago. Michigan State is annually one of the best college basketball teams in the country and, although they do have an incredible number of very talented student athletes, they are not usually thought of as the most talented team in the country. They are known, however, for consistently being one of the toughest. Coach Izzo is tough and his team exemplifies it.

During one of our conversations with Coach Izzo, he reminded us ...